Valentine Candy Carrier

I love finding fun ways to present Valentine candy to friends and family and this year I came across a real gem. Seriously - how cute is this? A 4-pack of Starbucks Frappacino altered to a little Valentine candy carrier. I found the directions for this over at Nancy Riley's site stampinat6213 which you'll want to check out as she is one clever gal.

You could easily make several of these in just a few hours as the directions are really simple. You just need one of these...


along with one 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper in the color/design of your choice and some embellishments. I used what I had on hand and since I made this for my step-son and step-daughter who are 17 and 20, respectively, I didn't want it to look to pink or to cutesy.

Just empty out the bottles, remove the labels (these came off easily) and wash them being sure that they dry real well. The directions for the cuts that Nancy gives are perfect. Don't worry about the 'DP' and the 'CS' - as far as I can tell, those are part of the names of the paper and don't have anything to do with how to make these.

I didn't have any double stick tape so I used modpodge instead to adhere my paper and it worked fine. Also, I would have preferred glue dots to adhere the ribbons but, as I was out of those too, I used a few strategically placed drops of a clear liquid glue.

Didn't have any spray paint either so I brushed the lids with red acrylic paint but because it was so thin I had to put on about 5 coats to get the coverage I wanted and, after they were dry and I'd put on my embellishment, I coated them all with more modpodge that has a gloss luster finish. Spray paint may have been better for a cleaner look but it wasn't necessary.

Next came the fun part of filling up the bottles with various candies and I made sure to use some of their favorites...


I put them back in the carrier, tied a bit of ribbon around the handle and there you have it! A simple, cute and fun Valentine gift sure to please everyone on your list. This would also be perfect for teachers, neighbors, co-workers....well, you get the idea. Have fun!

Gorgeous Valentine Earrings From Paper Mache

Years ago, (like 15 years ago) my dad - who's quite creative - showed me how to make beads out of paper. I remember thinking this was pretty cool and I think I made a few but that was the extent of it. So here we are now and I'm finding that paper beads are showing up on lots of craft and jewelry blogs; kind of like leggings and long sweaters making a come back right now. Hello 1980's!

Anywho, I was visiting several of the blogs I like recently and I came across the paper mache earrings over at Infarrantly Creative. Wow - she has some great ideas on her site and the tutorial for these earrings is very clear and easy to follow. Since I've been playing with making paper beads lately (more on this in a future post) I knew I had to try her spin on them.

A couple of things from my experience with the process:

• She doesn't give a measurement for the water. My 'it has to come out perfect' OCD kicked in here so I checked the comments section to see if anyone else had mentioned this (no one had) and I even contemplated emailing her. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and I just followed the directions. Note: the amount doesn't matter as long as it's enough to hold a packed cup of newspaper. So, I probably used about 1 3/4 cup.

• The ink from the paper came off onto my fork, tongs and stainless steel All Clad pot (obviously, I don't have designated craft cookware yet). Not to worry, it all came off with minimal scrubbing.

• One packed cup of newspaper makes a lot of beads; 30-40 depending on how big you make them which makes this an uber economical craft. It was going to the bead store that increased the expense.
  

But aren't they cute...


I'm having a Valentine Cookie Exchange Party this coming Sunday and guess what the ladies are getting as a favor? A little Valentine bling to take home with their cookies!

Awesome Giveaway Over At Tatertots and Jello!

The wonderfully delicious blog Tatertots and Jello is hosting an awesome giveaway today and I highly suggest you jump on over to enter. This is for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Lisa Leonard Designs. Lisa is the creator of the sweet little necklace pictured above and every piece she makes is hand-cut, hammered, antiqued and polished sterling silver!

Even if I don't win, I might just have to get myself one of these beauties...I'm thinking that an "m + a" would be pretty cute!

Altered Composition Book

Making an altered composition book to give as a gift to those who love to journal, doodle or jot down a quick note is a fun, quick and extremely creative way to get your craft on. It's relatively inexpensive and can be heavily embellished or streamline and simple. The one pictured above is my most recent endeavor which I'm really excited to give to a dear friend of mine and I know she's going to love it!

The basic supplies are really simple to gather and if you don't already have them, you can get hooked up at your favorite craft store (hello Michael's!). You'll just need a composition book (totally stock up on these at Target during 'Back To School' sales - you can usually pick up two for $.99 which is a great bargain) and 4 sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper. You can use the 8.5x11 size sheets but I prefer the 12x12 because you have extra to use in embellishing. I used Mod Podge as my glue though you can use whatever you have on hand - just make sure it dries clear and give a strong bond.


Determine which papers you want to use where, measure the height and width of your book and make your cuts. It's pretty important to be exact here so don't assume that measurements for each front/back/inside covers will be the same and don't 'eyeball' it or you'll either come up short and be able to see the cover of the book or you'll find yourself doing a lot of trimming.

I use a corner cutter on one side of my paper to match up with the corners of the comp book. If you're going to embellish your pages with anything that will go through your paper or need to be taken around to the back of it (like brads or ribbon), it's best to do this before you adhere your paper to the book - you'll have a cleaner and smoother look to your finished product. Before adhering would also be the time to ink the edges of your paper if you're wanting to do that as well.

I've seen some of these notebooks where only the front and back outside covers have been altered which I really dislike. Your book will look so much better if you alter the inside covers as well plus doing so gives you more space to play! Get creative! Add ribbon, brads, initials, poetry...you can really do so much!


Inside front cover...



Inside back cover...



Back cover...



You can really personalize this for the one you're giving it to - and don't forget those cute mini composition books too! They're great to use for all of the left over scraps you have from your larger book and they make perfect stocking stuffers too!